An Unsuspected Face
by orwelliswatching
Summary: A new face arrives in Palm City, and her presence will stir up drama in the city and in Vince's life. Part one of many.
1. Chapter 1: An Unsuspected Face

This story is a mixture of Jumper and The Cape- I love both and decided to fuse the two to make something totally new. Tell me what you think.

Characters:  
>The Cape- Vince FaradayThe Cape

Max Molini

Orwell

Jumper- David Rice

Millie Rice

Grace Rice (she's my version of David and Millie's daughter)

Griffin O'Connor (I know the odds are that he's dead but let's just say he's alive)

As she lay there gasping on the cold cement, she knew she was going to die-it was unavoidable. The electricity had been too much for her weary body, and she was losing more blood by the second. The world grew shadowy and dull, and she prepared herself for the end. As she began to drift out of consciousness, she felt movement all around her, but she could do nothing about it. She drifted off.

Vince Faraday paced the floor. Where was Max? He had left him in this room over a half hour ago, and he was starting to worry. Frustration welled up inside of him. He was most certainly not a patient man- anyone who knew him could easily tell.

Finally, he burst out of the room, walking down to the door he had seen Max enter. "Max, what are you doing? We need to talk. I…" His voice trailed off as he saw Max bent over a twenty-something girl tied to a table. The girl was unconscious, blood matting down her hair and staining her skin. Her clothes were tattered. "What are you doing to her?"

"Vincent, you need to leave. I'm sorry, but this is very serious and I cannot have anyone unnecessary in here right now." Max looked grave but apologetic.

"Why is she tied up? Is she a prisoner?" Any anger Vince had been feeling was gone- he felt strangely protective of this girl. She looked innocent and harmless.

The girl stirred- and then let loose a bloodcurdling scream. She writhed, and a strange spark erupted around her. "Max, what is going on?"

"Vincent, get out of here!"

"No! Max, I will shut up and stay out of the way, but you are going to tell me what is going on!"

"All right. But stay over there for right now. This could get rough."

The girl moaned. Her eyes opened, and her image seemed to flicker. The strange sparks glowed around her again, and her screams echoed off of the walls. It was horrifying to watch.

"Oh, my…"

"Vincent!"

The girl's screams faded, and she became still. She panted as she turned to Max, her eyes widening as she took in his face. "Max? What are you doing?"

"Grace, I found you bleeding to death in an alley. I want to help you." Max looked down into her eyes and gave her a gentle smile.

"Why did you tie me up?" Grace struggled against the cords. "You know this is hurting me."

"You need to stay here and not jump for awhile. You need to heal. You were stabbed in the stomach and cut on the arms, legs, and neck quite severely."

"WHAT?" She started to struggle frantically, neck craning to look at her body. "Max, release my arms. Please. I won't jump- I swear."

Max cut the rope bounding her hands, and Julie quickly pulled up her shirt, running her hands over her stomach and whispering, "No," over and over again. She turned to Max, her eyes full of tears and dread. "Did you see anyone there?"

"There was an older woman with blond hair. She was running down the alley when I was walking by."

Grace let out a wail and fell back into the table, sobbing.

"Why?" Vince couldn't keep quiet any more.

"I was pregnant. She killed my baby!" Grace screamed. She started to convulse, her sobs racking the table. It started to shake beneath her, the sparks returning to the air. Max shouted, "Grace! You can't jump! You will only hurt yourself more!"

"What are you talking about?" Vince questioned.

"It is best if you don't know," Max said in a hard voice.

"What is going on?" Vince demanded.

Grace lifted her head, having gone silent. "Tell him," she whispered. "He can know, if you believe that he can handle it. I trust you, Max."

"Vince, Grace is what we call a jumper. She has the…ability to teleport." Max said reluctantly.

"WHAT? You're crazy."

"It is the truth. She is hunted for it by overly religious people who believe she is an abomination."

"He's not lying. I can show you," said Grace.

"Grace, no. I will not let you- not in your condition. And who is to say that you will come back? I know you- you've pulled the disappearing act quite a few times."

"Max, trust me. "

Max turned to Vince. "If she shows you and then disappears, call me. I will find her."

Vince turned to Grace. "Show me," he commanded.

Grace held out her hand. He took it. She closed her eyes and jumped.


	2. Chapter 2: Talk To Me

(See the first chapter for what just occurred.)

Grace opened her eyes and looked out over the New York skyline. The ground was a dizzying length away, but she wasn't afraid of much these days. She turned to look at Vince, holding onto his hand tightly so that he wouldn't fall off. His eyes widened as he turned and stared out over the city. His breath turned shallow. "Oh, my God. How did you- when did you- what- how?"

"I was born with it." Grace looked so forlorn that Vince didn't know if she was going to jump or not. His grip on her tightened a little bit. "So what's the problem? Seems pretty sweet to me."

"Then you clearly aren't looking close enough. This is a serious problem, Vince. It's not all fun and games. Not everyone thinks it's as sweet as you do."

"How can they not, Grace? As far as I can tell, you seemed to have it pretty good, other than being stabbed in an alley. And that can happen to anyone in Palm City. So what's so horrible about it? You can go anywhere- why is it so bad that you can get anything you want? I would kill to have that ability. Who wouldn't love to have that power?" Vince looked at her, confused. He didn't understand what could be so horrible about that.

"People who think that God is the only one who can have the power to be 'all places at all times.' Paladins. Religious freaks." Grace stared blankly out at New York City and sighed. "They hate us because we're able to do this. They want us dead- and they don't care who gets in their way of it. They'd kill you just for being seen with me."

"Oh. Scary." Vince replied in a softer voice. "Well, I know about people wanting me dead. But it's for what I know, not for what I can do."

"Yeah, what's the deal with that?"

"It's complicated. There's this guy- Peter Fleming. He's the head of the Palm City police department, but he's also this totally evil murderer called Chess. He's planning to take over Palm City, and he framed me for being Chess. Everyone thinks I'm dead, and my family is suffering, but there's nothing I can do about it." Vince's tone was bitter. His eyes held a cold, contemptuous fury as he stared over the horizon.

Grace was silent for a few moments, but then replied quietly, "No offense, but I win. No one exactly murdered your baby and boyfriend. And what makes it worse is that it was the baby's grandmother- my boyfriend's mom."

"Wow, that's rough." Vince's tone was full of regret. "I'm sorry, but Max is probably writhing with anger right now. He might teleport and kill you himself if we don't go back."

Grace stood and pulled her hand out of Vince's. She shook her hair out and asked, "Want to have a little fun?"

Vince looked skeptical. "What are you doing?" She took his hand and led him towards the edge of the building. "Whoa- what are you going to do to me?"

"Trust me- you'll love it." Grace had a mischievous twinkle in her eye as she pushed him off the edge.

Vince screamed as he fell down off the edge. Suddenly, Grace appeared and grabbed him around the waist. She jumped back to the carnival site.

She winked as Max stood and said, "Proof enough for you?"


	3. Chapter 3: Holding Cell

"What were you thinking, Grace? Pushing him off of the Empire State building? Do you realize how many people could have seen you- all of the people you would have exposed to your secret? Anyone who wanted to hurt you and thought that Mary had taken care of you would see that you were still alive and would hunt you again. That was so incredibly reckless!" Max was livid- Grace had never seen him so angry about anything in her life, and she had known Max a long time.

"I was just having fun! What's the problem with that? Nothing was going to happen to him- I wouldn't let that happen. Not after losing my family. You really don't think I can handle…" She stopped short, realizing that Vince had walked into the room. "I don't need this, Max. I can handle myself."

"No, Grace. That's the problem- you never could. David and Millie and Griffin were always the ones who took care of you, and they're gone. If you insist on being childish, that's how I'll treat you. You're staying here, and I will not let you jump. I'm putting a cable on you. His movement was quick, but Grace jumped to the other side of the room and screamed, "NO!"

Max shot a cable across the room, and it wrapped around her leg. She fell to the floor, the glow of electricity surrounding her again. Vince stared, aghast, as Max picked her up and placed her on the cot where she had lain before. She shouted, "You can't do this to me, Max. You were supposed to be my friend, not morph into one of them. Help me, please!"

"I am helping you, Grace. You need to heal- physically and mentally. You're not ready to be on your own. You have to let your body right itself again, and you need to come to grips with the fact that you've lost people. Please understand that this is what's best for you right now."

Grace just closed her eyes and nodded. "All right, Max. I'll stay. But only until everything heals. Then I'm as good as gone. I won't jump- fine with me. What do I have to live for anyway?"

Max and Vince left the room. Vince whispered, "Max, how are you going to keep her here? That cable won't hold her forever, and once she's out, she won't keep that promise. She'll be out of here."

Max nodded. "That's why I want someone to give her a reason to stay. She needs to be attached to something or someone, or else she won't ever come back. I am preparing to ask her to be in an act for the show- she's an excellent dancer. I need her to remain here- the outside world is too dangerous for her."

"That won't be enough to keep her here- you don't just entertain a prisoner in a holding cell to make him feel like he belongs in jail. Maybe she should help me as the Cape- Orwell may be a computer whiz, but she's not much of a sidekick right now. That would keep her busy."

"We'll see, Vincent. I don't need you being distracted from what you must do to keep Grace busy. You have things that you must do as well. She cannot be a distraction to you."

Vince nodded and turned to walk away. But a nagging thought flashed in the back of his mind- _She might be already._


	4. Chapter 4: Punishment

Vince hit the combinations on the bag, his head spinning. _Left, right. Left, right left. Right, right, left, right. _Sweat dripped from his forehead, but he kept going. Across the room, Orwell watched him, a small smile upon her lips. She crossed the room, placing her hand on the small of his back. Vince stopped, turning and looking into her eyes. She rose up onto the tips of her toes, slid her arms around his neck, and kissed him. He hesitated, then kissed her back.

It wasn't the first time they'd kissed- she had kissed him shortly after the death of his best friend, Marty. They'd shared a few kisses since then, and Vince got the impression that she felt that they were a couple now. It felt…bittersweet, Vince thought, for several reasons- he might still love Dana, he didn't want to hurt her, and…_Grace._ As she pulled back from the kiss, a smile highlighted her face. He returned the smile as she pulled back, picked up her bag, and said, "I have to go. I'll call you."

"Okay." As she walked out of the door, Vince rested his head against the bag. He hated that he was still thinking about Grace. But everything about her was so intriguing- the looks, the way she spoke, the past she was so ashamed and scared of. He couldn't deny it- as much as he wanted to believe he still loved Orwell, he didn't anymore. He was in love with Grace.

He started hitting the combinations again, the pain in his fists feeling like the only consolation for the betraying thoughts in his mind.

_Left, right. Left, right, left. Right, right…_

Grace tugged at the cable Max had put on her, tears streaming down her face. She was panting, the pain worsening with every futile attempt. She let go of it, starting to sob harder. She was trapped, and she hated it. Jumpers weren't meant to be cooped up in one place- they needed to be able to move and explore. She was going to drive herself crazy.

Suddenly, Vince walked in. She straightened, wiping the tears from her face. "What are you doing here- Max sent you home." She sniffed. Grace knew she looked like a mess, but she didn't care at this point.

"I wanted to see you. I needed to know if there's anything I can do to make you more comfortable here. I can't convince Max to let you go, but he told me to see what you liked to do so that you could be more…entertained." Vince looked uncomfortable.

"I…like to dance. And sing. Anything with music." She let her hair fall over her face, hiding her tears from him.

"What's wrong?" Vince sat down on the floor beside her, rubbing her back cautiously.

"I just want to get out of here. I can't be contained inside a small space for too long, or I'll go insane." Grace sniffed again, her breath ragged. She began to stretch on the floor.

Vince watched her, his eyes looking over her hair, her skin, her long legs and arms. He removed his hand from her back, temptation welling up inside of him. He stood and leaned against the wall. After a few moments, he looked down at her again. "You certainly look like a dancer- you have the posture and the flexibility."

"It's my passion- how I express myself. I love it."

"Well, I'll see about getting you some music…" Vince paused, surveying the room, "…and maybe a bigger space. It would be kind of hard in here."

"That would be great." She stood, wiping her face again. "Thanks for coming. It's nice to know you care."

He looked at her with secret longing. Finally, he crossed the room and hugged her. This, he thought, was the greatest punishment of all.

She looked up into his eyes. After a long drawn out moment, he leaned down and kissed her. Fireworks went off behind his eyes. She wrapped her arms around him, and he picked her up, placing he gently down on the bed. He pulled back, light flooding into his eyes as he smiled and brushed her hair back. She returned a weak smile, and he left the room without another word.


End file.
